Lift bridge



Oct' 2.51927' s. HARDESTY ET Ax.

LIFT BRIDGE a Filed' Feb; 17, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2,

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s. HARDESTY ET A1. l

,. LIFT BRIDGE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 1v, 1927 Patented ct. 25,1927.

Unirse STATES- PATENT oFFicE- u sIioRraIDe-E HAaDEsrY, F L aacHMoNfr,AND WILLIAM G. WILLIAMS, or FLUSHING,

New Yoan, AssIGNoas To WADDELL a HARDESTY, oF NEW YORK, N.v Y., A co-;PARTNEBSHII ooMPRIsING JOHN A. L. WADDELL AND sHoa'IfRIDeE HARDESTY.

LIFT BRIDGLEQ,A

Application filedvFebruary 17, 192,7,l Serial-N;168,907,-V

The invention aims to provide an improved combination of devices bywhich power lines are carried to a motor on the moving span and by whichthe changing stress of the usual counterweight cables is very simply.compensated. Y

The accompanying drawings illustrate an embodiment ofthe invention. o

Fig' 1 is a side elevation of a vertical lift W bridge, party brokenaway; Fig.- 1a being a detail thereof; l y Fig. 2 is a side ,elevationof part of the apparatus on an enlarged sca-le, the view being taken onthe line 2-2 of Fig. 1l;

Fig. a. side'elevation of parts shown in Fig. 2. Y The movable span ofthe bridge is indicated generally atv1 and the fixed towers at 2. Thetrusses of the right-hand tower are 2f* broken away at the top to showthe parts behind them` more clearly. The weight of the lift spanis,,couiiterbalancedfby weights 3 suspended from cables 4 which passupward over sheaves 5 at the topsA ofthe towers. 25 r1`hey are connectedto the counterweights through equalizers 6. Their opposite ends entenddownward from the sheaves and are connected `to cross-girders 7 on Vtheends of the inovingfspan. The span` is lifted and hauledl down by meansAof cables 8A attached to the bottoms andtops of r`the towers, with theirbight passing over guide pulleys -9 on the ends of the span and finallyover drums 10 at the vcenter which are drivenby suitable motors locatedin the machinery .house 11 mounted on the top of the span. At the endsof the span are guide shoes 12 which engage suitable vertical guides onthe faces ofthe towers. @n the underside at each end of the span arebearing shoes 13 and 14, the former fixed on the pier 15 and the latterbeing' a rocker pivotally supported on the span so as to allowforilongitudinal movement of expansion. f

Mounted on top ofthe machinery house is rocker 16 in the form of astructural steel bent illustrated in detail in Figs. 2 and 3, supportedon hinges 17 at its lower end and carrying' at its upper end circulardrums or guides 13. rlhese are provided with spiral grooves shown inFig. 2 around whichV are wrapped'ropes 19, fixed at one end to a towerand carrying at their opposite ends counterweights 2O below guidesheaves 21 fixed on the tower. As shown in Fig. 1 the left-hand ends ofthe ropes 19 pass through ysaddles, 22 withv curved bearing faces andarek fastened to supporting blocks 23 on top of the tower. From thesaddles 22 th'e ropes 19 leaddownward and wrap around the drums 18 towhich they are clamped at one point andare continued around the drum andup tothe guide sheave 21.* Y

kThe power line vor electric conductor 24 is supported `by cleatsorsimilar devices 25 arranged on the` left-hand portion .of the ropes 19and passes atits upper end over suitable guides and down alongtheoutsideface of the tower as indicated. Before reaching the central drum 18thecable 24 is loosely carried down to the machinery house 11 and into thesame. f l

The lift span, counterweights, etc.l are i shown in full linesin theclosed position of the bridge and in dotted lines in the open position.`During the operation of the span,

ropes 19 are maintained taut bythe counterweight 20 which alternatelyfalls and rises,

and the bent 16 rocks about its pivot 17 causing the center of guides 18toniove through the path indicated by the circular dotted line ofFig. 1. Power lines 24, supported by i'opes 19, meanwhile maintaintheir'connec.-

tionl to the spank with onlyslightchangesof angle at any one point andwith a minimum of slackin any of their parts. y'

The vert-ical componentof the pull of the ropes 19Zon the span, actingthrough bent 16,'

varies from an upward to a downward directioii as. the span rises andpasses Athrough a neutral position of no vertical component when'thespan isin the half open position. Y

We therefore can constructl counterweight 20 of such weight that thesevertical components will balance or compensate for thev unbalancedweight of the main counterweight ropes as they pass from one side to theother of the sheaves 5. The desired compensating effect may be obtainedalso by` varying' the positions and proportions of the Vseveral parts ofthe apparatus by which the electrical conductor is carried. And in anycase the invention may be advantageously applied to a partialcounterbalancing of the variation caused bythe weight of the maincounterweight cables, though preferably the parts are designed to securesubstantially` complete counterbalancing.

CII

,the motor.

Snot claimed herein, the present application By means of our devicetherefore we are enabled to dispense with the chains, heavy ropes andother devices commonly used heretofore to balance the variable portionof the main counterweight ropes as well as to maintain direct connection`of the` power lines to the span, without the disadvantages met with inthe usev of great hanging loopsv segments l(similar to saddles 22) withstraight groovesmaybe used placed one be low the other with theirgrooves-tangent at their center points.` In either case the ropes arerigidly clamped to the drumor segments at some point of permanentcontact fwith it as by clampBOshown in Fig. 3.

Jandvarious other forms offconnection may beiised.

`Saddles 22 on the tower may be dispensed with if swiveled endconnections are provided for the attachment ot' ropes `19`to that tower.In the same way ropes 19 may be made in two parts and pivoted endconnections to the rocker bent 16 be substituted 'fordrums 18. Y d

f In a co-pending application of Hardesty there is described anarrangementfor balancing thefvariable parts of the main counterweig'htcables independently of the: scheme ufor vleading theelectricalconductors to the motor.; In aseparate application offilliams`,` co-pending herewith,` there is described a scheme Yfor.leading the electrical cables to These separate inventions are beingdirectedto the arrangement bywhich both purposes are accomplished inayslngle .strii'cture or combinationof parts'- AVarious modificatlonsmay be made withv l out departing from the invention as defined in thefollowing claims.

Vhatwe claims is:

1. The combination with alift span of a motor carried thereon, aconductor leading from a iixed support to the motor and means for takingup theslack of the conductor as the span moves and 'at the same timecoun-` terbalancing loads which vary as the span rises. Y

2. In combination with a lift span carrying a motor, aswinging membercarried by 'the span, a conductor leading from a ixed point to the freeend of said swinging member and thence to the motor and means attachedto the swinging member for swinging the same tomaintain the conductortaut and at the same time to counterbalance loads on the span which varyas it rises.

B. "The combination with a movable span carrying `a motor ot a swingingmember carried by said span, a conductor leading from afxed point to thefree end of said swinging member and thence to the motor,`

a flexible `connect-ion leading from the swinging member to a ixedpointof support at theopposite end of tlie'span fromv that which carries theconductor and means for Vtaking up the slack of said flexible connec-"tion and conductor as vthe span rises and for at the `sametimecounterbalancing loads on the span vwhich vary as it rises.

4. A `vertical lift bridge span carrying a motor, a swinging memberattached thereto7 fixed 'towers at the ends of the span, counterweight,Qfor the spancomprising cables leading to overhead pulleys with weightson their free ends7 a cable leading to the swinging member from onetower and from the swinging member over a support on the other towerandv carrying a counterweight `and a conductor leading from one of thetowers to the -motor and having its intermediateportion supported by apart of the cable leading to the swinging member. l

`In 'witness whereof, we have hereunto signed our names. i

SHORTRIDGE HARDESTY.

` WVILLIAM G. WILLIAMS.

